1. Field of the Invention
The present invention generally relates to automobile side door assemblies and, more particularly, to a sealing in each of the automobile side door assemblies.
2. Description of the Prior Art
The terms "front" and "rear" used hereinafter in connection with the description of both of the prior art and a preferred embodiment of the present invention are to be understood as used in relation to the direction of forward movement of an automotive vehicle.
An automobile side door assembly in general comprises a generally double-walled door panel structure including inner and outer door panels connected together at bottom and opposite side edges thereof to provide a windowpane chamber and having a windowpane slot defined generally between the top edges of the respective panels for the passage of a windowpane into and out of the windowpane chamber. In order to enhance the accessibility to a door handle in each side door assembly and also to provide an appealing design in each side door assembly, it is well known that some models of automobile have a door handle installed in each side door assembly at a position above the waist level of an individual or above the windowpane slot and rearwardly of the respective side door assembly. An example of this type of door assembly is disclosed in, for example, Japanese Laid-open Utility Model Publication No. 63-66318, published May 2, 1988.
According to the above mentioned publication, the door assembly is of a type applicable to a hardtop model and has a handle base used for each side door assembly and secured to a rear top portion of the door panel structure so as to protrude upwards from the windowpane slot in the door panel structure for the support of the associated door handle. The door handle for each side door assembly disclosed therein is supported for pivotal movement between released and locked positions about an axis lying generally vertically and perpendicular to the longitudinal sense of the automobile body structure.
A sealing system used in each side door assembly, disclosed in the above mentioned publication, to avoid any possible ingress of water from the outside, comprises a weather strip secured to that portion of the automobile body structure which confronts the respective access opening adapted to be selectively closed and opened by the associated side door assembly. Specifically, the weather strip has portions disposed between the windowpane and that portion of the peripheral lip region defining the access opening which is adapted to receive a peripheral edge of the windowpane when the latter is elevated to a closed position, and between the handle base and a rear pillar.
Another type of automobile side door assembly is also well known which, in addition to the above mentioned door panel structure, further comprises a generally U-shaped window sash having opposite arms fixed to the door panel structure and positioned immediately above the windowpane slot so that, when the windowpane is elevated to the closed position out of the windowpane chamber, side and top edges of the windowpane can be received in the window sash. When the handle structure disclosed in the above mentioned publication is applied to this type of automobile side door assembly having the window sash, a portion of the window sash will be located between the pillar in the automobile body structure and the windowpane, requiring the employment of a sealing strip between the window sash and the pillar. This arrangement tends to increase the thickness of the side door assembly as a whole and this increase in thickness of the side door assembly tends to result in narrowing the interior space in the automobile body structure.